Boots (musician)

Jordan Asher Cruz,[3][2] better known as Boots (stylized as BOOTS), is an American record producer, singer, rapper, songwriter and director originally from Florida. He first gained recognition in 2013 for his significant contributions to American singer-songwriter Beyoncé's critically acclaimed self-titled fifth studio album.[4] He has been nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year twice.[5]

Boots
Boots in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Jordan Asher Cruz[1][2]
Genres	Alternative R&B, experimental hip hop
Occupation(s)	Record producer singer songwriter rapper director
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards guitar drums bass guitar synthesizer percussion
Years active	2011–present
Labels	Columbia Roc Nation Atlantic
Associated acts	Beyoncé Run The Jewels FKA twigs
Website	darkdaze.tv

Career

2012–13: Early career and working with Beyoncé

Jordan Asher Cruz was a member of bands such as Blonds,[1] Young Circles, Blond Fuzz and Stonefox.[6] In June 2013, he was officially signed to rapper Jay-Z's entertainment company and Sony Music Entertainment imprint, Roc Nation, under the pseudonym Boots, for publishing.[7] In the same month, a fashion film (starring Chanel Iman and Viktoriya Sasonkina) featuring music by Boots was released.[8]

With his contributions to Beyoncé's self-titled fifth studio album, released in December 2013, Boots came onto the music scene largely unknown.[4] Upon the release of Beyoncé, he updated his Facebook page, saying he had been "working on [Beyoncé] for most of the past year", and that he had "produced 85% of [the album] and [had] four original songs on the album".[9] Boots contributed additional production, background vocals and instruments to the album's first R&B/hip hop single, "Drunk in Love", featuring Jay-Z.[10][11] Beyoncé later referenced Boots' work on the album, saying he is "a new producer that [she] completely respect[s]", that "he is an innovator", and she is "so proud to work with him".[1]

In an interview with The New York Times, Boots would not speak of his previous projects or how Beyoncé found his demo, only confirming he signed a publishing deal with Roc Nation in June 2013. A last-ditch bout of songwriting yielded “I'm On To You,” a moody minor-key song with layers of eerie background voices and a particular rhythmic undertow. He saw it as a template for a solo album. “That song was my heart,” he said. At his first meeting with Beyoncé, he had already written songs he believed would resonate with her, but she was more enthused by his experimental material. Beyoncé refused to leave the song alone, saying to Boots, "This shit has to knock harder than any rap album out there." The song became "Haunted", and the previous title "I'm On To You" was instead recorded as a phrase in the song's refrain.[12][13]

Following an infuriating meeting with a record label, Boots wrote the stream of consciousness rap from "Ghost" and played it for Beyoncé in the early stages of recording. She identified with its content as she had similar experiences from signing a recording contract at a young age. Boots made the song in a hypnotic state, saying, "I started with guitars, just building the layers until they resembled Aphex Twin soundscapes. And then I completely contained them within the beat".[12]

2014: Solo releases

On February 13, 2014 Beyoncé's official Facebook page shared a link to Boots' personal website which contained an original composition titled "Dust" with an accompanying music video.[14] The song was of the first to be released which featured Boots singing lead vocals.[15]

On March 11, 2014 Boots released two more songs. One titled "Howl"[16] as well as another titled "Autumn (Lude I)" which featured R&B artist Kelela. The release of "Autumn (Lude I)" included another music video, directed by Boots.[17] "Autumn (Lude I)" featured Boots rapping instead of singing.[18] On March 25, 2014 Boots yet again released two songs. The first was a song titled "Ride Ride Ride" which reportedly featured background vocals from Sia Furler.[19][20] The second song titled "Alright", featured Boots prominently rapping. In the song, Boots mentions selling "1 million in one week", alluding to Beyoncé's album surpassing one-million digital sales in its first week.[21][22] On April 8, 2014 Boots released two more songs on his Facebook page. The first titled "Sheep/Lookin' Muthafucka (Lude II)" is a two part song. The first half hears Boots singing quietly over an electronic and orchestral arrangement. The second half features Boots rapping with a motif that plays heavily off of Nicki Minaj's "Lookin Ass". The second was a song titled "My Heart Is a Stone Today (Unharmed)"[23][24]

On April 11, 2014 Boots uploaded a photo to his Twitter reportedly of a track list. The track list contained all of the songs he had previously released. Prominent features listed were Shlohmo & Jeremih, Kelela as previously mentioned, Son Lux, Margot and a final feature that is unconfirmed.[25] He later went on to announce that the track list was a mixtape titled "WinterSpringSummerFall" but did not confirm a release date.[26] In July 2014, Boots scored the trailer of 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey using a slowed-down version of "Crazy in Love" by Beyoncé who re-recorded the song and string arrangements by Margot.[27][28] On September 8, 2014, he released his first single, "Mercy", on his SoundCloud account and on iTunes. On September 11, 2014, he released a video for "Mercy", directed by himself[29][30] On October 31, 2014, Boots performed "Early" with Run The Jewels on the Late Show with David Letterman.[31][32] On November 6, Boots released the new song "I Run Roulette."[33]

2015–present: Motorcycle Jesus and AQUΛRIA

On February 19, 2015 Nowness premiered a trailer for a post-apocalyptic film titled Motorcycle Jesus, which was written and directed by Boots, which featured five original songs.[34] In an exclusive feature story with Jon Pareles for The New York Times it was revealed that Boots would be releasing a solo album "later this year". The interview also revealed that Boots had produced unreleased albums for British singer FKA Twigs and Autolux.[13] On March 18, 2015, Boots performed "I Run Roulette" on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The performance—which featured Boots, two drummers, and a light show—garnered rave reviews from critics.[35][36][37][38][39]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions
		US Heat. [40]
Aquaria	Released: November 13, 2015 Label: Columbia	14

Extended plays

Title	Album details
Motorcycle Jesus	Released: March 3, 2015 Label: Canvasback/ATL
#DARKDAZE	Released: February 13, 2018 Label: Self-released

Mixtapes

Title	Album details
Winter Spring Summer Fall[26]	Released: May 6, 2014 Label: Self-released

Guest appearances

• 2014: "Early" (with Run the Jewels) on Run the Jewels 2
• 2017: "2100" (with Run the Jewels) on Run the Jewels 3

Songwriting, production, and miscellaneous credits

Title	Year	Artist(s)	Album	Credits	Written with	Produced with
"Haunted"	2013	Beyoncé	Beyoncé	Co-writer/Producer	Beyoncé Knowles-Carter	Beyoncé
"Drunk in Love" (featuring Jay-Z)				Additional producer	-	Detail, The Order, Beyoncé, Timbaland, Jerome Harmon
"No Angel"					-	Caroline Polachek, Beyoncé, Patrick Wimberly, James Fauntleroy
"Partition"					-	Timbaland, Jerome Harmon, Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, Key Wane, Mike Dean
"Jealous"				Co-writer/Producer	Noel Fisher, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Eric Proctor, Rasool Diaz, Brian Soko	Detail, The Order, Beyoncé, Hit-Boy, HazeBanga
"Flawless" (featuring Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)				Additional Producer	-	Hit-Boy, Beyoncé, Rey Reel Music, HazeBanga
"Superpower" (featuring Frank Ocean)					-	Pharrell Williams
"Heaven"				Co-writer/Producer	Beyoncé Knowles-Carter	Beyoncé
"Blue" (featuring Blue Ivy)					Beyoncé Knowles-Carter	Beyoncé
"Lie, Cheat Steal"	2014	Run the Jewels	Run the Jewels 2	Additional producer	-	EI-P, Little Shalimar
"Early" (featuring Boots)				Featured artist/Co-writer	Jaime Meline, Michael Render	-
"A Message"	2015	Kelela	Hallucinogen EP	Co-writer	Kelela Mizanekristos, Alejandro Ghersi, Dominic Salole	-
"Glass & Patron"		FKA twigs	M3LL155X	Co-writer/Producer	Tahliah Barnett	FKA twigs
"Figure 8"					Tahliah Barnett	FKA twigs
"I'm Your Doll"				Producer	-	FKA twigs
"Mothercreep"				Co-writer/Producer	Tahliah Barnett	FKA twigs
"SelectAllCopy"	2016	Autolux	Pussy's Dead		Carla Azar, Greg Edwards, Eugene Goreshter	-
"Soft Scene"				Producer	-	-
"Hamster Suite"				Co-writer/Producer	Carla Azar, Greg Edwards, Eugene Goreshter	-
"Junk for Code"					Carla Azar, Greg Edwards, Eugene Goreshter	-
"Anonymous"					Carla Azar, Greg Edwards, Eugene Goreshter	-
"Brainwasher"				Producer	-	-
"Listen to The Order"					-	-
"Reappearing"					-	-
"Change My Head"					-	-
"Becker"					-	-
"6 Inch (featuring The Weeknd)		Beyoncé	Lemonade	Co-writer/Producer	Abel Tesfaye, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Danny Schofield, Benjamin Diehl, Terius Nash, Ahmad Balshe, Dave Portner, Noah Lennox, Brian Weitz, Burt Bacharach, Hal David	DannyBoyStyles, Ben Billions, Beyoncé, Derek Dixie
"Freedom (featuring Kendrick Lamar)				Additional Programming	-	Just Blaze, Jonny Coffer, Beyoncé, Myles William
Sandcastles				Synth Arrangement	-	-
"Thieves! (Screamed The Ghost)" (featuring Tunde Adebimpe)		Run the Jewels	Run the Jewels 3	Co-writer	Jaime Meline, Michael Render	-
"2100" (featuring Boots)				Featured artist/Co-writer	Jamie Meline, Michael Render	-
"Panther Like A Panther (Miracle Mix)" (featuring Trina)				Co-producer	-	EI-P, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby
"Didn't I (Say I Didn't)"	2017	Vic Mensa	The Autobiography	Co-writer	Victor Mensah, Alexander Baez, Darian Garcia, Carter Lang, Ernest Wilson, Malik Jones, William Pulliam, Jonathan Tanner, Tyrone Griffin Jr.	-
"Have Fun Tonight"		Fischerspooner	SIR	Co-writer/Co-producer	Warren Fischer, Casey Spooner, Jonathan "Michael" Stipe, Andy LeMaster	Fischerspooner, Michael Stipe
"Take Me Apart"		Kelela	Take Me Apart	Co-writer	Kelela Mizanekristos, Dominic Salole, Alexander Shukburgh	-
"Everything Is Just Alright"	2018	Fischerspooner	SIR	Co-writer/Producer	Warren Fischer, Casey Spooner, Jonathan "Michael" Stipe, Andy LeMaster, Michael Cheever	Michael Stipe
"I Need Love"				Co-writer/Co-producer	Warren Fischer, Casey Spooner, Jonathan "Michael" Stipe, Andy LeMaster	Michael Stipe
"Dear God"	2020	Phantogram	Ceremony	Co-writer/Producer	Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Dana Travis Middleton, Jeffrey V. Smith	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"In A Spiral"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Amanda Lucille Warner, Asa Taccone, Ennio Morricone, Joe Janiak, Peter Wade Keusch	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Derek Dunivan
"Into Happiness"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, William Corgan	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Pedestal"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Amanda Lucille Warner	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Love Me Now"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Dan Wilson, Henry Brill, Thom Bell, William Hart, William Corgan	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Let Me Down"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, George Young, Harry Vanda	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Matt Jacobson
"News Today"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Adrian Younge, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Karolina Acratz, Loren Oden	Josh Carter
"Mister Impossible"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, John Scott, Terrance Cole	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Glowing"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Dan Wilson, Ólafur Arnalds	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Gaunt Kids"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Terius Youngdell Nash	Andrew Dawson, Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter
"Ceremony"					Sarah Barthel, Josh Carter, Morgan Kibby	Andrew Dawson, Josh Carter
"Holy Calamafuck"		Run The Jewels	RTJ4	Co-writer/Producer	Jaime Meline, Michael Render, Dave Sitek, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby	El-P, Sitek, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby
"Pulling The Pin (Featuring Mavis Staples & Josh Homme)"				Co-writer/Producer	Jaime Meline, Michael Render, Josh Homme, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby	El-P, Little Shalimar, Wilder Zoby, Homme

References

1. Davis, Justin (December 19, 2013). "Finding Boots: The Mysterious Producer Behind Beyoncé's New Album". Complex. Retrieved December 24, 2013.
2. Castillo, Arielle (January 22, 2010). "Tonight's Stonefox Show in Fort Lauderdale Is Likely the Band's Last". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 24, 2017.
3. Finney, Ross (October 28, 2014). "Boots 101: A primer on the mysterious Roc Nation producer". Retrieved June 24, 2017.
4. Tanzer, Miles (December 13, 2013). "Meet Boots, the Unknown Guy Behind Beyonce's New Album". BuzzFeed. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
5. "Boots". GRAMMY.com. The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
6. Castillo, Arielle (January 31, 2012). "Q&A: Blonds on Backing Up the Hype; Show Tonight at Bardot". Retrieved December 29, 2013.
7. "Photo Posted by Boots". Facebook. June 1, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
8. "Spectral – An eye exam like no other, Starring Chanel Iman". Vimeo. June 26, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
9. "Boots Shared a Link". facebook.com. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
10. "Beyonce Album Credits". beyonce.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
11. "How 'Beyonce' Stayed a Secret, and Which Songs Will Be the First Singles". Billboard. December 13, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
12. Greene, Jason (January 21, 2014). "Beyoncé's Muse". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
13. "After His Coup With Beyoncé, Boots Strides Out of the Shadows". The New York Times. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
14. "Happy Birthday Boots". Facebook. February 13, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
15. Greene, Jason (February 13, 2014). "BOOTS – Dust". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
16. Greene, Jason (March 11, 2014). "BOOTS – Howl". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
17. "BOOTS – Autumn (Lude 1) (feat Kelela)". Dazed. March 12, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
18. "BOOTS – Autumn". Complex. March 12, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
19. "BOOTS – Ride Ride Ride". Spin. March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
20. "BOOTS – Ride Ride Ride (feat Sia)". Time. March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
21. "BOOTS – Alright". Dazed. March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
22. "Beyonce's Album Sales Cross 1 Million in iTunes". Huffington Post. December 19, 2013. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
23. "Beyonce Producer Boots Drops Two New Songs: Listen". Idolator. April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
24. "BOOTS – "My Heart Is A Stone Today (Unharmed)" & "Sheep/Lookin' Muthafucka (Lude II)"". Stereogum. April 8, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
25. "BOOTS Track list". Twitter. April 11, 2014. Archived from the original on April 21, 2014. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
26. "WinterSpringSummerFall". Complex. April 12, 2014. Retrieved April 20, 2014.
27. Feeney, Nolan Feeney (July 24, 2014). "Fifty Shades of Grey: The Story Behind Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" Update". Time. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
28. Nostro, Lauren (July 24, 2014). "Interview: BOOTS Talks About Reworking Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love" and Scoring the "Fifty Shades of Grey" Trailer". Complex. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
29. "BOOTS - Mercy". YouTube. September 11, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
30. "Boots". Bootsonboots.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved 2015-12-31.
31. "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
32. "Run the Jewels and Boots Perform "Early" on "Letterman" | News". Pitchfork.com. November 1, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
33. Geslani, Michelle (November 7, 2014). "Boots shares new song "I Run Roulette" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
34. "Nowness". Nowness.com. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
35. "Watch Boots' Larger-Than-Life Tonight Show Performance". Stereogum.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
36. "Watch Boots Destroy "I Run Roulette" on The Tonight Show | Pigeons & Planes". Pigeonsandplanes.com. March 19, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
37. Vain, Madison (February 26, 2015). "BOOTS scorches on Tonight Show, plots U.S. tour". EW.com. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
38. "BOOTS Ignites The Tonight Show With "I Run Roulette" Live Okayplayer". Okayplayer.com. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
39. Kaye, Ben (March 19, 2015). "Boots lights up the stage on Fallon — watch". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
40. "Boots – Chart history". Billboard Top Heatseekers Albums for Boots. Retrieved March 17, 2016.

External links

• Jordan Asher on IMDb